Charlie calls them the "lil' catties," and declares that the two small
animals consumed three shillings and ninepence worth of meat in a week.
I laughingly say, "But, Charlie, that would be nearly nine pounds of
meat in six days, and they couldn't eat that, you know." Charlie grins
and shows all his beautiful even white teeth: then he bashfully turns
his head aside and says, "I doan know, ma': I buy six' meat dree time."
"Very well, Charlie, that would be one shilling and sixpence." "I doan
know, ma';" and we've not got any further than that yet.
But G---- and I are picking up many words of Kafir, and it is quite
mortifying to see how much more easily the little monkey learns than I
do. I forget my phrases or confuse them, whereas when he learns two or
three sentences he appears to remember them always. It is a very
melodious and beautiful language, and, except for the clicks, not very
difficult to learn. Almost everybody here speaks it a little, and it is
the first thing necessary for a new-comer to endeavor to acquire; only,
unfortunately, there are no teachers, as in India, and consequently you
pick up a wretched, debased kind of patois, interlarded with Dutch
phrases. Indeed, I am assured there are two words, _el hashi_ ("the
horse"), of unmistakable Moorish origin, though no one knows how they
got into the language. Many of the Kafirs about town speak a little
English, and they are exceedingly sharp, when they choose, about
understanding what is meant, even if they do not quite catch the meaning
of the words used.
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